The End Of An Epic
by Mango Schmango
Summary: Katherina/Petruchio. Taming of the Shrew future fic. An insight into their relationship as they head into their twilight years. Kate and Petruchio were equal partners in a relationship that made everyone else pale in comparison. Please read and review.


_The End of an Epic_

**Disclaimer: I'm just showing my appreciation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew in a non-profit way. **

The rain pelted down, shaking the windowpanes. Lightening cracked, momentarily engulfing the sickroom in an eerie white glow. Katherina dabbed her husband's forehead with a damp cloth, murmuring soothing sounds whilst knowing that Petruchio would not be able to comprehend anything beyond the confines of the room.

"Kate?" he croaked, his wrinkled hand shaking.

"I'm here, my lord husband," she whispered, clutching his dear hand in her own and bringing it to her lips. "I'm here."

"Ah, my Kate, I am a spent force."

Katherina forced a smile. "Nay, my love. You are not spent yet."

A pained raspy sound came from his throat. "I am a dying lion. You have never told falsehoods, Kate. Do not begin now."

"And you have never been a eulogising sort of man, husband. Do not begin now. _Please_."

He attempted to laugh but instead an unhealthy gurgle erupted from him. "My Kate…"

"Indeed, I am _your _Kate, my love. And you are _mine_ _own_."

"But I am soon to become the property of another higher being than yourself, my Kate."

Katherina's eyes burned. "Curse the man who attempts to sever you and I asunder!"

"My virago…even your considerable powers of persuasion could not prevent Him from claiming me."

Angry tears pooled at the corners of her eyes but she blinked them back, unwilling to collapse into a whimpering heap of salty tears.

A knock sounded at the door. "Madame," the faint voice of the physician said, "It is time to bleed your husband to rid him of his ill humours."

"Fie you half-witted full! I shall not permit you to use your butcher's instruments on my lord husband. Get you away before I throw you out the window and dash your innards on the ground below!"

"But Madame—"

"Leave us!" she snarled, as if she were a lioness guarding her dying mate from any predators.

The physician wisely retreated.

Katherina turned back to face her husband, who tenderly looked upon her. She leant down and brushed her lips against his lingeringly. "I will be a glutton and I am not going to share you with anyone—you are all mine own." she breathed with a loving expression that was for him only.

Petruchio could not speak, his limbs trembling violently. A wet-eyed Katherina stroked his forehead as his face contorted in great pain. His breaths came out in static pants. His hand gripped hers like an iron vice. His eyes bulged as his chest heaved upwards.

"Kiss me, Kate," he gasped as his eyes glazed over and his body slackened.

Grief tearing at her like cruel talons, she readily complied and pressed her lips against his, her salty tears mingling with their lips. She felt his shaking body still but she kissed him, feeling the warmness of his lips cool and his once-strong hand become a leaden deadweight in hers.

She pulled away and saw her lord, husband and lover lie in perfect repose on the sheets. His sagging features were frozen like a stone angel. His now-frost white beard that he used to nuzzle against her bare neck and face as dawn broke over their bedchamber, was sweat laden and limp. His brown eyes that were like the ale with flecks of gold in them, always flashing mercurially, were now grey and lifeless. Those big hands of his that could bestow such pleasure and tenderness upon her were now still. His body that reminded her of a hard, unyielding oak tree was now withered by age.

She bit so hard on her lip to prevent an onslaught of weeping that she could feel the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She could dimly hear the hushed, impatient whispers of servants outside in the corridor but she did not care, for her life and love was dead.

_Dead_.

Katherina crawled onto the bed and curled up beside the prone form of Petruchio, her left arm stretched across his middle.

"Oh my love, my love," she whispered into his ear. "If the blessed Lord and saints above with whom you now are, either can or will do anything, suffer not your living wife to be abandoned when it is her time, since among my bitter misfortunes, nothing has afflicted me like this time I have lived apart from you…"

Life apart from him…had there been any?

Loud banging on the door interrupted her reverie and she cursed under her breath.

"Madame! Are you well?"

"Dear sister, open the door. It is I, your beloved Bianca!"

Katherina did not want to move from the bed. She wanted to stay with her deceased husband.

Another loud bang.

"If you do not unblock the door, we shall have to force ourselves in!" came the voice of Bianca's husband, Lucentio.

For once, Katherina's fire failed her and she could not muster the strength to refuse them. She had no children of her own to concern herself about. She and Petruchio had been so absorbed in each other that she doubted they would have had any love or attention to lavish on their offspring. The pair had both experienced the pain of ineffectual, absent or cruel parents, and perhaps doubted their own ability to nurture children. Instead, the couple travelled widely; England, Spain, France…whatever took their fancy.

Furthermore, the servants became a kind of foster family. Katherina concerned herself with the marriages, births and deaths of her servants like they were born of her flesh. Likewise, if the servants misbehaved, she would scold them like a disappointed mother would. Petruchio had enjoyed observing his wife playacting despite his protests to the contrary as Katherina caught the glimmers of affection and admiration in his eyes which he would immediately shutter when he noticed her gaze.

The door flew open and Katherina felt a pair of hands shake her.

"Sister, sister!" Bianca bleated, waving a jewelled fan in Katherina's face. "We thought you had done harm to yourself!"

Other servants filed in with their caps doffed in tribute to their dead master. Lucentio and two physicians stood silently in the corner.

Katherina felt as if someone had lodged something in her throat because she could not seem to formulate a sentence.

"Oh my poor bereaved sister! What a burden this is upon you…of course you'll have to give this estate up and move in with myself and my husband…"

Katherina ignored her self-interested sister's prattle and longed for the intruders to leave her private sanctity. Despite outward cordiality, Katherina could not stand to be in her sister's company for more than an evening. And she did not want to even think about her insipid brother-in-law who was completely in thrall of his selfish wife.

Katherina's precarious self-control snapped when she felt Lucentio's arms attempt to lift her off the bed. "I am no greensick woman!" she barked, batting his hands away and reluctantly pulling away from her dead husband into an upright position. She roughly ran a hand through her mussed hair, aware but careless of the fact she must appear like a banshee. She then stood up, glowering at the perceived interlopers.

"I am still in one piece, as you can see dear sister! Now, I would like a few more minutes alone with my husband before his body is prepared for burial, and I do not want any more disturbances."

Bianca, who had not seen her sister behave in such a manner since she became affianced to Petruchio, felt fearful and hurriedly fulfilled her sister's wishes by ushering everyone out and closing the door.

Katherina smiled with bitter triumph and thought back to that infamous night all those years ago when her husband had won the wager against Lucentio and Hortensio that he had the most obedient wife…

_Petruchio kicked the door shut behind him with his boot as Katherina coyly backed towards their bed. His face was flushed with triumph and Katherina felt giddy at the sight of his burning eyes._

"_You were magnificent, Kate," he breathed, her name sounding like an incantation from his lips. He shrugged off his boots while all the while never breaking eye contact with her. _

_Katherina licked her lips, enjoying the flare of unashamed lust in his eyes. "_We_ were magnificent, husband. We showed those knaves that we are no errant fools to be trodden over."_

"_Indeed not, wife of my heart. You played your part to perfection. Even I could not have planned the outcome any better. We swindled them out of their money whilst simultaneously humbling them. If I do say so myself, it was a very sweet deal."_

"_You may say so," Katherina purred, holding out her hands to him in silent invitation. _

_He strode over to her and immediately engulfed her lips. They kissed feverishly, their hands running over each other's backs and arms. Katherina softly whimpered as his hands drifted down her face to her hips, tracing lazy circles. She delved her fingers into his hair and let out a little squeak when he lifted her up and dropped her in the centre of the bed, his body lying on top of hers. His lips still enslaved hers._

_Suddenly Petruchio ceased with his attentions and pulled back on his elbows, his brown orbs boring into her grey ones. Katherina gave a little breathy exclamation and attempted to pull him down on her again but Petruchio would not be budged. His hands gently stroked her long black hair into a halo on the pillow. _

"_**This**__ is our wedding night, Kate," he said with quiet intensity, his eyes searching hers. "This is our wedding night."_

_Katherina managed to lift herself up to kiss his lips tantalisingly soft. "Now we are truly husband and wife. Our wedding all those months ago was merely a rehearsal for this, this…bliss..."_

"_Yes. Tonight at that banquet we became truly husband and wife. All those months of trial were a precursor."_

_The pair stared at each other intensely as if they could peer into each other's soul and penetrate their darkest desire, hopes and fears. _

_Suddenly, a wicked gleam shone in Katherina's eyes and she flipped him over so that now she had the dominance over him. He smiled appreciatively, running his hands up her skirts and over her creamy thighs. "Didn't you say, wife of mine, that you swore to obey me in all things?"_

_Katherina's nimble fingers undid the front of his doublet. "Did I?"_

_Petruchio's breath caught in his throat as he felt her full lips press against the bare skin of his chest. "Yes. I distinctively recall you did. I have at least a dozen witnesses…I can call upon Lucentio to prove my point…"_

_Katherina pulled her hair free of her cap, allowing it to fall in a glorious mane around her face. She leaned over him, her rose scented hair falling in a silken curtain about his features. "Do you want to call upon him now?" she purred._

_Petruchio found that his thoughts were befuddled by her intoxicating scent and nearness. His desire for her pulsated through him. _

"_Perhaps I should leave?" She made move to climb off him. _

_Petruchio deftly flipped her under him, she lying like a delectable goddess on the sheets. "Nay, you wench of mine. Your duty is to your husband tonight."_

_She smiled lazily, her eyes heavy lidded. "I thought you wanted to seek out Lucentio."_

"_To hell with Lucentio," Petruchio said roughly, dropping feather light kisses over her eyes, cheeks and lips. Katherina mewled, bringing her hips up._

_Petruchio groaned. "You are a wanton wench," he said raggedly, nibbling on her neck._

_She breathlessly laughed in delight. "Eros has enslaved you in his sticky web."_

"_Hardly. I think you have weaved an unholy enchantment, wench, without the aid of that errant meddler Eros."_

_Katherine chuckled softly, lifting her head to gently brush her lips against his cheek._

_Petruchio's brow creased._

"_What ails you, husband of mine?" she murmured._

"_Did you…did you truly mean what you proclaimed to the others about I being your lord and keeper?"_

_Katherina gazed at him steadily. She threaded her left hand with his right and brought it to her lips. "Need you ask that question?"_

"_Because if you did truly mean every word you uttered, then I would tell you that I would love, cherish and protect you while there is strength in my limbs. Because if you spoke true tonight, I would tell you that you would be my best earthly companion: my wife, lover and confidante until I perish."_

_Katherina's eyes softened into an infinite abyss. "Truly, my lord?" she asked in a voice thick of restrained emotion._

_He echoed her earlier remark. "Need you ask that question?"_

_Her face glowed like a glorious beacon. She shook her head. _

_He smiled crookedly. "Kiss me, Kate."_

_She did not need to be asked a second time. _

**The End. I hoped you enjoyed it. Please give me feedback as I would most appreciate it! **


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